When We Stand Together
by Dungeonwriter
Summary: After the trauma of Failsafe, the team is torn apart and the Light gains a major advantage. Wally and Dick's friendship is put to the ultimate test, when one member is forced off the team.
1. Stand Together

**Stand Together**

**This fic is dedicated to my dear fellow writer Silver Spider, whose amazing fics deserves a read. I wanted to give her a gift fic of a single scene and it turned into a longer story. Everything is AU from Failsafe and will explore the dynamics of the team to a dangerous new enemy, and the idea of families sending their kids off to fight. What if they change their mind? And the Light's mole is going to be exposed in a dangerous new way. **

_The right thing to guide us_

_Is right here, inside us_

_No one can divide us _

_When the light is leading on _

_But just like a heart beat_

_The drumbeat carries on_

_-Nickelback _

Barry had always planned to stay a bachelor. He had always planned to live an easy, boring comfortable life helping people as a criminologist. He had never planned for children, knowing that the worry and responsibility would be far more than he could ever handle.

And yet, he found himself a newly wed Superhero who regarded his nephew and protégé as the son he never thought he wanted. He knew that Wally belonged to Mary and Rudy, and he respected that. He just knew that Wally was a bright kid who needed as much adult supervision as possible and he was grateful to be given that honor.

He hadn't even wanted Wally as his apprentice. He had known it would be too dangerous and had pleaded with the kid to just stay in school and save the world through that magnificent mind for science. Well, the magnificent mind for science managed to wind up in the hospital in intensive care recreating the Flash experiment.

Barry had been sick with worry at the bedside, hoping that the burns would heal and the bones would mend and the smile would return to Wally's pale face. He had been apoplectic when his nephew opened his eyes, and whispered "I did it," in a morphine soaked tone of triumph.

He had done it, all right. Barry had been torn between locking the kid up in some secure facility and hugging him tightly. He settled on the latter and took the kid as his apprentice, for fear of what super powered and genius in the hands of a hyperactive child could wreck.

Wally had risen to the occasion with enormous distinction, becoming a great hero in his own right. Barry had been furious when Wally had gone against orders, but proud of him and Robin for helping to form the Black Ops team. He was confident Wally would someday become one of the greatest forces for good. This was for the benefit of everyone.

Yet, at this moment, he was terrified of what he had done. It had been a silly training exercise. No one was supposed to get hurt. Batman had assured him that Wally could handle it.

He clenched his fist. The boy had been tortured, forced to watch everyone he love be vaporized. Barry couldn't imagine the terror of seeing his friends, his family and his mentor be destroyed, and know he could do nothing to save them. Worse, Wally and his best friend then had to walk into a suicide mission, knowing they would die without saying goodbye, knowing that they would die as children.

Wally hadn't spoken much since he had woken up. Barry had been terrified himself to see his nephew's eyes filled with a barely concealed rage, a darkness that shouldn't have been there. He stared off into the darkness, lost in his own thoughts.

It had been horrible to watch the agony on Wally's face as people died before his eyes. What was worse was that even when the nightmare was over, it was more of a premonition that a cautionary tale. They were risking their lives, fighting solid sociopaths and super powered psychopaths. The chances of losing life and limb were very high.

The room cleared as everyone else left for their homes. "You look exhausted. Want to spend the night here?" Barry asked, not sure if taking him to the West home would be safe. Wally seemed extremely volatile and even Mary couldn't handle her son like this.

"I don't care," Wally hissed in a dark tone. "Just leave me alone." It was a chilling voice that should have belonged to a villain.

"I'm your uncle. I'm supposed to be annoying and make you come to dinner and go to bed on time," Barry teased, watching his nephew's stiff posture. He had a feeling he knew what would happen next.

"Leave me alone!" Wally snapped, leaping to his feet and throwing a bad haymaker at his mentor. "Just go!"

Barry easily ducked and pinned his nephew's arms to his side. "What's going on?" he asked. The blow would have hurt less. "Everything is fine. Artemis is safe. I am safe. You are alive."

Wally glared at him, struggling valiantly but completely helpless. "You wouldn't understand!" he shouted. "Just go away, I don't need you!"

Barry nodded. He deserved the resentment. He deserved far worse. "You're scared. I know, you feel completely under siege and you don't know what to do with the anger. We'll work through it, together."

Wally twisted away and Barry was suddenly grateful the kid was still growing into his powers. A blow from him could be devastating to someone without super powers, but right now, he was easy to handle for a Superhero. "I don't need you! Just go, please!"

"I'm sorry you thought I abandoned you. Losing you is my worst nightmare. Putting you through it was terrible and I will never forgive myself for it," he soothed, pulling his angry little protégé to his chest and squeezing him. "I'm so sorry."

Wally struggled only a moment more before he collapsed, choking on sobs. "I'm scared," he said in a voice far younger than his years. "I can't do it."

"What scares you?" Barry urged, grateful that the anger stopped and the bitterness was oozing out of the mental wound. "You can tell me."

"I may have to lose my teammates, my mentors, my friends. I can't save Aunt Iris or Mom and Dad because I have to be responsible for the world. I'm what stands between Armageddon," Wally choked, trying to hold out his arms unconsciously as he tried to shoulder the world. "I can't do it. I'm scared to die."

Barry hugged him close; miserable at how slight Wally seemed even in uniform. He was a boy, barely a teenager and full of hopes and dreams for a future that he slowly realized had been sacrificed for the greater good. "I won't let you stand alone, Wally. I swear to you…you and I will walk this path together." He could feel his nephew's exhaustion and for once, dignity could be forgotten.

"All that anger…I never wanted to kill before," Wally whispered, still in tears. "I wanted to rip their heads off. I'm not a bad person…but I wanted to be." That anger had unleashed a lot in his nephew, more than could be dealt with.

"Everyone would feel that way," Barry soothed. "You did me proud. We'll discuss it in the morning." He gently eased his nephew to lean him on him, as he half walked, half carried him into the Zeta beam where he could just be a child again for a little while. He kept his arm around his nephew, trying to comfort him as best he could.

Deep in his heart, Barry knew he wished he could leave the boy home until he turned twenty-one. "You need to rest. I'm taking you home." Wally needed to be home.

* * *

><p>That night, Barry and Iris had slept over. There was no happy family dinner, no cheery conversation and jokes. Tonight, they were all there to make sure one young boy would be all right.<p>

Wally's parents sat at his bedside; standing guard against evil they had no chance of fighting. Iris hovered at the door, trying to hide her tears. Tonight, their little hero would be protected. The four of them were quietly determined to take on the world to give Wally some rest.

Barry had taken every step to make sure the trauma was kept under control. The sedative would make sure Wally wouldn't hurt anyone in his sleep. It didn't stop the nightmares that made him sob in his sleep, pleading for mercy, terrified of losing everyone, resigned to dying. It was agony to endure. Barry forced himself to watch every second, self-flagellating himself with it as he held his nephew's trembling hand. "Mommy," Wally whimpered, as he gently thrashed around.

Mary looked up at Barry with wet eyes, looking so gray and tired. "We trust you, Barry. We trust you with Iris's happiness. We trust you with our son's life. We trust you with everything that gives life meaning, with the happiness of the entire family," she said in a firm tone as she wiped her son's sweaty head. "We can't lose him." She had nearly died having him and as strict as she was, she loved Wally fiercely.

Barry had taken blows from super villains that hurt less. "I'm sorry," he said, cursing the day he had taken Wally as his apprentice. He didn't have a right to steal his nephew's childhood. "I don't expect your forgiveness, and I don't deserve it. I'm so sorry." He hated himself right now. Iris twinned her hand into his and squeezed it, trying to comfort him. It didn't work.

"It's not your fault," Rudy said with a deep sigh. His voice was thick with unshed tears. "Wally made his choice against your wishes. Blaming yourself won't turn back the past. I know he's been called for a higher purpose. I just need to know…do you think he can handle this? Because I'm starting to have my doubts."

Barry nodded, and hoped he was sure. "Wally faced his worst demons today. But he was strong and brave and noble and everything we are proud of. He can handle this, because he has us. We're going to see him through." He had a bad feeling about this conversation.

"He's fifteen," Mary said, as she shared a long look with her husband. "He should be enjoying his childhood, not worrying about taking on the world."

Wally gripped his hand tighter and opened his eyes. "I," he whispered, his voice hoarse as he tried to talk through his sobs before falling back into sleep. "Hero."

Barry was never more proud…or more frightened. He could only nod and hope he could be the hero the world and his nephew needed. "Sleep, kid. We'll talk in the morning."

"Yes…we will," Mary said, a sad look on her face. "We have a lot to talk about." This really did not sound good.

**AN-Wally's parents are having second thoughts about this hero business. Next chapter, a big choice is made and Dick reveals an enormous secret to Batman, something he has kept to himself for far too long and really needs to get off his chest. **


	2. Stand By Me

Another chapter, which is officially AU now as of Disordered. So, I figured what happens when super powered kids have to come home broken in spirit (and sometimes in body) to parents who are not heroes themselves? I can't imagine parents enjoying it. I also wanted to explore a major weakness of the team, that they are essentially not very united, and seem extremely fractured into friendships and romantic pairings, and teammates, without mutual trust.

Thanks for all your reviews!

Stand By Me

If the sky that we look upon should tumble and fall

And the mountain should crumble to the sea

I won't cry, I won't cry, no I won't shed a tear

Just as long as you stand, stand by me-John Lennon

Wally loved breakfast. He loved waffles and pancakes and omelets and anything else piled high on his plate after his long night's rest. It was no insult to lunch, dinner or snack time that he felt this way. He loved all his meals equally, but there was something special about waking up and starting the day right.

He still had some bad memories from last night, but in the warm daylight of home, it seemed a bit removed. As he practically skipped down the stairs, he had a feeling of relief that perhaps the nightmare would be held at bay. As long as he didn't think about what happened, he would be fine.

Usually the sight of his four parents, (it was hard to think of them as anything else) sitting around a table with food was his vision of Nirvana, but the expressions they wore resembled something out of a funeral. "Is everything all right?" he asked. His neat little kitchen suddenly felt very cold.

"You don't remember last night?" Mom asked tentatively, offering Wally a heaping plate of Belgium waffles like a bribe. She was red eyed and looked like she hadn't slept well.

Wally shook his head. "It's a blur," he said before diving into the plate with gusto. "I mean, I remember the cave and arguing with Barry and going to sleep, but everything else…what happened?"

"You had a bad night, kiddo," Dad said, obviously searching for the right words and not finding them easy. "You cried the whole night."

"Yeah, I had a bad time. Well, out of sight, out of mind," Wally said, as he took a second helping. "Right, Uncle B?"

Uncle Barry and Aunt Iris were looking miserable in the corner. "It's not so simple," Auntie I said softly, before taking Uncle B's hand and looking even more morose.

"Wally, you may be a goof, but you're brilliant. You could cure illnesses, you could change the world. You don't need to be a hero to save everyone," Uncle Barry stammered, unable to meet his nephew's eyes.

Wally had a bad feeling about this entire breakfast, which was starting to feel like a last meal. "What's going on?" he asked. "Am I injured?" Had he lost his superspeed?

Mom put her hands on his shoulders and forced Wally to stop and look at her. "There's no good way to break this. You can't be Kid Flash anymore," she said in a soft tone that didn't hide the dagger she was shoving into his gut. "Your father and I decided that you are too young."

"You can't be serious. Mom, I'm fifteen. Robin's only thirteen and he's fighting crime with Batman. What happened yesterday was a fluke," Wally pleaded, feeling himself begin to shake. "This is the best part of my life!" Outside of being Kid Flash, he was some freak science genius with absolutely no social skills and far too much hormones.

"Wally, you nearly died. It may have only been training, but you were emotionally damaged," Dad said in a more firm tone. "We have to do this for your own safety."

"Mom, Dad, you can't do this to me," Wally stammered, almost unable to control the enormous lump in his throat.

"I can and I have. You're upset; I understand that it's a big blow to you. I still expect you to speak respectfully," Mom said firmly. "And don't even think of running off. Your uncle has given me his word he'll bring you back." He was so angry, he could spit.

Uncle Barry looked sheepish. "I did get her to agree to continue letting me train you," he added, obviously trying to make an execution any easier. "And when you're sixteen, we can rethink this."

"End of discussion," Mom said coldly, cutting off another plea for mercy.

There was only one logical choice.

Wally grabbed as many waffles as he could, piled them onto his plate and speed upstairs to his room, slamming the door behind him. It seemed like the better option than to burst into tears in front of them. He was too old to cry…even if he felt like he had just been destroyed.

He had nowhere else to go. Mom had forced him to attend high school for English, history, Latin and gym for socialization. He had no friends there, everyone called him a geek and even the smart kids couldn't keep up with his super speed intelligence. He tried to flirt and be smooth and it never worked out. Wallace Rudolph West was a freak.

In the middle of the day, he'd have some relief in the quiet lab provided to him. He had been privately tutored in science since his ninth birthday and was already taking Master's level engineering, mathematics, chemistry and physics at Star City University, who were brought in just for him with a grant from the Wayne Foundation. He knew his uncle had gotten it for him, and Dick had told him how.

A sudden chill filled him. Dick wouldn't be allowed to hang out with him anymore. He knew that the Robin and the Batman were Dick Grayson and Bruce Wayne…but both boys would be tortured by endless training drills for spilling such secrets to each other. He knew Dick would do it gladly, but he also knew Batman wouldn't approve.

They were heroes. Heroes had to make sacrifices, like losing time with the best friend in the world. He was going to be alone…it just wasn't fair. He threw himself on the bed, suddenly not feeling hungry. It was a very bad sign.

* * *

><p>Dick had a secret, something he never told anyone else but his foster father and Wally. He had no idea who he was. He often sat at the kitchen table deep inside the forbidding stone mansion and wondered the question of where his identity lied. Was he Dickie Grayson, circus carney? Richard Grayson, adopted son and heir to Billionaire Bruce Wayne and child of high society? Was he Robin, vigilante hero? Even he didn't know who was the real him.<p>

In Gotham Prep, Richard Grayson was a freak. In a school filled with well-heeled society brats, his trust fund dwarfed them all. Arriving in school in a Town Car every day from the biggest mansion in town didn't exactly win him friends in a school that counted him some peasant freak who deserved to be waiting their tables.

Of course, academics didn't make it easier. There was no chance of him being cool enough to be popular. He was a genius in most subjects and was taking classes with the seniors. Lest anyone forget, he was a mathlete geek! Worse, he wasn't allowed to try out for sports, given his…extra advantage. "Don't call attention to yourself," Bruce had advised.

He didn't get hassled too much physically- most people were too awed by the Wayne name- but he was roundly ignored and snickered at. His only friend was Barbara Gordon, who was his fellow Mathlete and the daughter of the police commissioner. She seemed to find him charming and talking with her gave him some semblance of normalcy.

Nothing could make up for the time with Wally. When they were hanging out, Dick was almost normal. He could tease and mock him and tell him anything and it felt so ordinary. The saving the world part of it was great too, but it was the video games and the joy rides and the jokes that were the real treat.

It was that perfect trust and brotherhood that had made him able to walk into a suicide mission with his best friend, and just be grateful that it was him dying next to him, that he wouldn't be alone. The thought of Wally dying…haunted him. He had walked him to his death and that was something he never wanted to do again. Life didn't always have a reset key.

He had to admit, last night had been horrible. He still remembered that despair of watching his new father and his hero family destroyed before his eyes. Bruce had spoken to him all night, but it still was a hole in his heart he doubted would be filled too easily.

He looked up from his porridge and found his father sitting beside him. Dick had never ceased to be amazed at how easily Bruce could sneak up on him. It was a soothing feeling, knowing the man he trusted most was always there for him. "Good morning," he said softly. He had stopped throwing himself into his foster father's arms ever since he had become too cool to do so.

"How are you doing?" Bruce intoned, looking more harried than usual. No one else would be able to see it, the tiny signs, but Dick knew his mentor as well as he knew himself and sometimes better. He knew something was wrong. "We need to talk."

Dick felt his stomach drop. This only could be the worst kind of news and he had no idea what to expect. "Just tell me," he begged. Bruce looked away. Oh no..."What happened?" After last night, he couldn't take much more.

"Wally has been removed from the team," Bruce said softly, his hand tightly on Dick's shoulder. "I'm sorry."

Dick bit his lip, trying to hold in swears in five languages that would get him grounded. "What happened?" he asked, still trying to imagine a team without his best friend on it. "Is he hurt?" He couldn't imagine Wally did anything to deserve being fired. "Oh God, is he?" Wally had been volatile last night, and he tended to act without thinking...

Bruce shook his head. "Wally's parents want him off the team. They feel it's too dangerous for him and want him to have normal life," he explained, clearly miserable for having to say so.

Swearing was starting to seem more and more likely. "You have to talk to his parents, get him back?" he begged, knowing his father could do anything.

"Barry spent the morning pleading with them. I am afraid it's out of my hands. I know it's a major loss to you," Bruce said, trying to be comforting and failing badly. "And to Barry."

Dick hung his head. Wally was his only real friend in the world. He was the only one who got to know him all the time, as Dick and as Robin. "It's not fair. Wally's a hero. He deserves a spot on the team." Wally was a stupid creepy womanizing jerk and his best friend.

"I agree. I think he's got a lot to learn but he had amazing potential," Bruce said, not helping at all. "He's a great kid."

Dick slammed his hand on the table, wishing he could do something for his friend. "The team is falling apart." Without Wally, what was the point of the team?

"No one else merits your trust?" Bruce confirmed, his voice filled with concern. "That came up a lot in assessments."

"Miss Martian has potential but she spends her time mooning over Superboy and she lacks focus on anything else. Artemis trusts no one and deep down, the feeling is returned. Superboy is a loose cannon who needs guidance that the team can't give him. Aqualad is a good leader, but he keeps to himself. No one is close to one another," Dick rattled off. "Of the ones left, I trust Kaldur the most, but that's not saying much."

Bruce nodded. "Aqualad trusts Red Arrow, as did Wally and you, but everyone else seems to require more discipline," he mused. "But that's for a later discussion. Are you all right with losing time with him?"

Dick stiffened. "You don't mean…" he hissed, suddenly finding himself unable to word the terrible order. "Robin knows his secret identity. We can still be friends."

"Robin knows that Kid Flash is secretly Wally West, but Wally doesn't know Robin's secret identity. From you to me is a very short leap," Bruce said softly. "Barry knows our secret identities and someday, so will Wally. But he's not ready now."

Dick slammed his hand again. "Not good. I don't have any other friends but him, so no, not really," he snapped. "So yeah, I'm not really all right."

"It's all for the mission. Wally will understand that," Bruce said, putting his arm around him. "I know, it's hard to make friends with people who you can't share your life with. But you knew this when you became a hero. In a few months, Wally's parents will likely calm down and you'll get him back. I know patience isn't your strong point but it's a good time to learn it."

Dick's hand didn't slam down a third time. "This is just beyond disconcerting. It's misconcerting," he mumbled. He couldn't actually imagine what he would do without his best friend.

"You have school," Bruce reminded. "Try not to think about it. You need to keep focused, this will sort out in time."

More bad news. This was just a terrible day.

AN-Yeah, this isn't good. How will the team deal with the loss of the Speedster? And how will Wally adjust to ordinary life?


End file.
